


Revelations

by TheMysteriousGeek2345



Series: Institute Teens at Hope's Peak [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Also a heist, Bad Puns, Characters Tagged have at least one line of dialogue., Fae!Nagito, Group Chat Elements, Legacy!Gundham, Legacy!Sonia, M/M, Mage!Himiko, Mage!Kyoko, Mage!Seiko, Mondo and Taka centric, Mondo getting very confused, Mondo swears, References to individuals being attacked, Spoilers for multiple entries in the series, Swearing, T rated for now- may go up to M, Tags will be added when the chapters are added, Taka Swears, Vampire AU, Vampire!Taka, references to blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 13,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMysteriousGeek2345/pseuds/TheMysteriousGeek2345
Summary: It all started when Mondo recieved a text from Taka informing of a situation.Having discovered, and then assited a bloodied Taka in his attempt to rescue an unconscious and bloodied Izuru Kamakura, Mondo discovers that not only do Vampires and other Supernatural beings exist, but his Kyodai is one of them!Mondo begins to adapt and learn more about the world around him, whilst Taka learns how to unlock his abilities... and the dark secret his family still hides.





	1. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo waits for his Kyodai.  
> Shame his Kyodai gets distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing a Danganronpa fic, so please be nice. Also I am 5 chapters in (all handwritten) and it's going slightly off the rails, so buckle up?

Mondo tapped his foot impatiently, looking at the clock. His English class had finished early (thank fuck, that Ouma kid was getting hella annoying!) and, because he had nothing better to do, he was waiting in the Cafeteria for his Kyodai to finish class. Hopefully, they would have time to hang out, chill (and study, Taka would insist on that)  
Mondo sighed, taking a sip of his coffee (black, no sugars), as he reclined in his seat, putting his feet onto the table. How long did he have to wait...? He looked up, and started at the clock again.  
30 Seconds.  
25 Seconds.  
20 Seconds. (Come on, come on!)  
15 Seconds. (Gods, why did time have to pass so fucking slowly?)  
10 Seconds. (The person who invented time was the fucking worst....)  
5 Seconds. (Any second now.....)  
_Bing Bong, Bing Bong._  
Fina-fucking-ly. Classes would finish now, which meant that the weekend could finally begin.  
Mondo knew that Taka would take a few minutes to get out of class, due to his desire to help the teacher pack everything away. However, when he had finally done so, then he would come grab Mondo from the Cafeteria.  
Mondo sipped his coffee again, as a few students made their way into the Cafeteria, possibly to get a drink and some snacks before they started taking advantage of the weekend. Mondo saw a few people from his English class, such as Angie and Hifumi, but he didn't really engage them in conversation.  
"Kyodai!" Mondo looked up and smiled, as Taka power walked (not ran. Running in Hallways was prohibited in a school environment after all.) into the Cafeteria. Taka paused for a second, and stared at Mondo, "You're out early..."  
"Classes finished early." Mondo quickly explained, "...Wanted to hang out with you."  
"Ah, ok!" Taka smiled warmly (he was so cute when he smiled), "Shall we head to my room? There's something.... something I wish to discuss."  
Mondo could see a hint of doubt and fear in Taka's otherwise cheerful demeanor. Why? What did Taka need to discuss?  
"Sure, Kyodai." Mondo replied, not hiding his concern, "What's...?"  
However, before Mondo could finish his sentence, Taka's phone began ringing. Taka's brow furrowed as he quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket. He quickly looked at the screen, and Mondo could see that he was confused. Taka quickly muttered "what?" to himself, before he looked up at Mondo.  
"I'm sorry Kyodai, Hope's Peak want to discuss my talent with me right now, so I have to go. I am sorry I could not spend time with you. I will meet up with you once my meeting is over!"  
And with that, Taka power walked out of the Cafeteria, leaving Mondo wondering what the fuck was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what is Taka hiding, I wonder...  
> Also short chapter, but yeah, just setting things up....  
> Also the English class thing is kind of a Set thing. So Mondo (with Taka's help) is in the Second Set for English, whereas Taka is in the First Set. That is why they are in different English classes.


	2. 3x + 2y - 2x = 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo does maths homework: the Chapter. Also he gets a text from Taka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a second chapter because Chapter 1 was short.

Two and a bit hours had passed since that encounter.  
Mondo had returned back to his room, still confused by what had happened. What was Taka going to tell him? And why had Hope's Peak requested a fucking chat with him? Did they want him to run detentions or something?  
Mondo stared at the wall, his half-finished maths homework on his desk (why was Algebra so fucking hard???). The room was mostly quiet, except for a fairly regular clicking sound, as Mondo kept pushing the button on top of his mechanical pencil. He sighed, as he looked at the clock.  
6:15 PM  
What was taking Taka so long? Surely a simple talk wouldn't take two and a bit fucking hours. Well, unless they _did_ put Taka in charge of detentions...  
Mondo sighed again, as he looked at the question.  
x = 3. 3x + 2y - 2x = 5. Find y.  
Taka had helped improve Mondo's maths skills immensly since they had become friends, but Algebra was still fucking hard. So many letters and numbers and confusing bullshit.  
He clicked his pencil again (a birthday gift from Makoto, who claimed that the brand had brought him luck in exams. Mondo didn't believe that the pencils were lucky, but rather that Makoto was one lucky son of a gun), as he thought through the problem again.  
3 x 3 = 9.  
2 x 3 = 6.  
9 - 6 = 3.  
5 - 3 = 2.  
"Ah, so 2 divided by 2 is one, so y equals 1!" Mondo exclaimed, feeling proud of himself. He would have to thank his Kyodai later.  
Shame that he still had another 5 problems to go though.  
 _*Beep* *Beep*_  
He'd recieved a text.  
Mondo quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, wondering who was texting him, and he saw the name "Kyodai" flash up on the phone's screen.  
Taka's meeting had finished presumably. Or the detention. Or whatever they wanted from Taka.  
He opened the text.  
...  
TAKA: Kyodai! If it doesn't disturb your studying, please can you grab your motorbike and sidecar, and then pick me up at the entrance of Hope's Peak. There has been a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't studied maths in 5 years, so apologies if the Algebra problem is basic. Also cliffhanger! ^.^  
> Also because I haven't clarified it, this fic takes place in the Autumn of Mondo and Taka's first year at Hope's Peak. They are in Class 78-A. The V3 kids are in class 78-B. I take liberties with certain things in this fic, so I hope you enjoy them!   
> Also, btw, I share Mondo's opinions on Algebra. XD


	3. Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo finds out what situation Taka has wound himself up in.  
> It wasn't what he was expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... there are some Danganronpa 2 and 3 spoilers coming up. You have been warned. Also I am so happy at this wacky little plot bunny of mine getting some attention! :D

"So, yeah, I hope that you like the additions I made to your bike!" The Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Soda, smiled after explaining to Mondo every single modifiction he had made. Mondo couldn't remember them all and he _was_ in a rush, but he appreciated the gesture.  
"Thanks kid." Mondo smiled, in a 'please don't delay me further' way, as he quickly got onto the motorbike (with the sidecar attached), and put the key into the ignition. Mondo smiled as his motorbike began to hum. He revved the engine, as he started driving.  
It only took him a few minutes, but he eventually arrived at the enterance of Hope's Peak Academy.  
And Taka was right- there had been a situation.  
Taka was half sat, half lying down by the school gates, his normally clean school uniform covered in small splatters of blood. Slumped on his shoulder was a presumably unconscious individual with long dark hair that went past his knees. Next to the two of them was Kyoko Kirigiri, looking calm and composed. When Taka and Kyoko saw Mondo, they both beckoned him to come over.  
"What's going on?!?" Mondo asked quickly, trying to be quiet so that he didn't alert someone to their presence.   
"We don't have much time." Kyoko muttered quickly, "Taka will explain everything when you get _him_ to a safe location. I'll explain everything to Chihiro, Taka."  
Mondo and Taka both nodded.  
"Right..." Mondo paused, the concern evident in his voice, "Let me help you carry him, Taka."  
Taka stood up slowly, and quickly put the unconscious individual's arm across his shoulder. Mondo assisted in carrying the individual to the motorbike (the unconscious individual also had a smattering of blood across his suit. What the fucking hell was going on??), before placing he individual in the sidecar.  
"Does Unconscious person have a name?" Mondo quickly asked, as he hopped onto the motorbike. Taka got on after him, and placed his arms around Mondo's waist (Mondo didn't want to fucking admit it, but the sensation was nice.)  
"They said his name was Izuru." Taka muttered quietly, deep in thought. Mondo sighed, trying to work out what Taka was thinking about, and what had led to this situation in the first place.  
However, Mondo eventually nodded, looking at the unconscious long haired male in the sidecar. No matter what, getting him to safety was the most important thing right now. Answers would come later.  
Mondo quickly revved up the bike again, and then the three of them drove away into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... ;)
> 
> Chapters are starting to get longer, and answers are coming, but for now enjoy an increasingly confused Mondo wondering what the hell he has gotten himself into.


	4. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka and Mondo finally get Izuru to a safe place.  
> Also Mondo meets an interesting individual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No notes, let's jump straight into this! ^.^ (Wait, that's a contradiction, nevermind.)

It took about an hour of Taka muttering directions whilst Mondo steered the bike, but eventually they arrived outside of a large, but non-descript, building.  
Taka quickly hopped off the bike, and headed towards the sidecar. Mondo followed suit, staring at the building curiously. Maybe, he's finally get some fucking answers.  
"Ya need our help, dude?" Mondo asked the (now conscious) Izuru, offering the guy a hand, which Izuru grabbed. Mondo tried to pull the guy up, but Izuru's legs were shaky, which meant he just fell back into the sidecar.  
"...Yeah. My body is aching weirdly, and..." Izuru began, his voice monotone and weak, as he stumbled out of the sidecar and onto the pavement. Taka, upon hearing that statement, turned and just _looked_ at Izuru.  
"Wait. Did you say that your body was aching?" Taka asked, sounding shocked and _terrified_.  
"Yeah?" A very confused Izuru muttered in response.  
"Crap, we don't have much time!" Taka said, as he grabbed Izuru and dragged him into the building. Mondo followed behind them, knowing that what was going on was not good.  
After all, Taka _never_ swore.  
Eventually, Mondo found himself in a large reception area. In the middle of the reception, there was a circular reception desk, with two receptionists tending to queries. He could also see a set of stairs leading to a second floor (or more like a balcony), along with several doorways that led to other rooms or corridors in the building.   
But what got to Mondo the most was how _busy_ the placed seemed. There were at least 4 dozen people chatting, or walking through the reception area, and the atmosphere seemed warm and welcoming. Mondo tried to find Taka and Izuru, but he couldn't see either of them in the huge crowd.  
What the fuck is this place, Mondo wondered, as he walked towards the reception desk.  
"Good evening sir. How may I....?" One of the receptionists, with short dark hair and wearing a green suit, began to ask. However, before she could finish her sentence...  
"Where's Taka?" Mondo interrupted quickly, "Average Height, dark coloured hair, white suit. Came in with a dude with long hair."  
"Oh, he was dropping off that Izuru kid in the 'hospital wing'." The other receptionist, an androgynous blonde haired, blue eyed individual said calmly (Mondo noticed that they used air quotes when saying the words hospital wing, but he paid it no mind. Finding Taka was more important.), "He should be back soon I guess?"  
As if on cue, Taka ran through the doorway on the left (ground floor), with an older woman following behind him.  
The woman seemed _interesting_. She looked like was in her late 20s or early 30s, wearing a dark suit with a high collar. She also had long dark hair that was tied in a braid behind her back. When she saw Mondo, she gave him a small smile.  
"Ah, you must be Taka's Kyodai." She said, her voice low pitched but light in tone, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am known as Alucard. Please, follow me to my office. I know you have questions..."  
"No shit." Mondo muttered.  
Alucard chuckled, "I like you already. But please, do come to my office. Taka and I will do our best to answer them. And hopefully, Taka will answer some questions I have for him."  
"... Yes, I am sorry for keeping you in the dark, Kyodai." Taka added, sounding nervous (just like earlier. Was _this_ the secret Taka wanted to share?), "But... nevermind. I hope all will be forgiven after this."  
"It's fine." Mondo said quietly, trying to reassure Taka, before the three of them headed towards Alucard's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And next chapter, Mondo finally gets some answers! And it's from Taka's POV! (And I can update the Tags and the Summary!)  
> But yes, Alucard is an OC. There will be OCs in this fic, but they are secondary characters.   
> (Also yes, Taka swears, but hopefully for a _very_ good reason.


	5. The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka explains what happened to him two years ago.  
> Mondo finally gets some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaah this fic is almost at 250 views! ^.^ Thank you everyone who has read, reviewed, kudos and bookmarked this fic. I really appreciate it. :D  
> Can I be greedy and ask for more feedback though so I can improve my writing skills? :)  
> But anyways- time for _some_ answers.

"What the fuck is this place?" Mondo asked quietly, as they walked down a fairly long corridor towards Alucard's office.  
Taka paused, trying to work out the best way of explaining what the Institute was, and why he was a member. And eventually, he would have to explain what happened to him two years ago...  
However, before he could get lost in his thoughts (which would have mostly been 'what if Mondo hates me for this?'), he felt a reassuring squeeze on his right shoulder. He looked up (when did he start looking at the ground? Was he really that _scared_?), and saw Mondo smiling at him.  
"Ya alright?" Mondo asked quietly.   
"Yes, Kyodai." Taka said uneasily (what if he no longer wanted to be his Kyodai?), "I was just... Working out the best way of explaining what the Institute is."  
"The Institute, huh." Mondo muttered to himself, as the two of them fell silent. Eventually, they reached a door at the end of the corridor. Taka gulped, as he and Mondo both entered Alucard's office.   
Taka tried to calm his nerves as he looked around the familiar surroundings. He would have to explain everything soon, and if everything did not go well...  
He would be alone again.  
No Institute. No Kyodai. Nobody.  
Taka _hated_ being alone.  
He sat down awkwardly on one of the chairs opposite Alucard's desk, and Mondo followed suit. When both of them sat down, Alucard's leaned forwards and smiled at the two of them.   
"So, Mondo." Alucard said calmly (how was she so calm?), "Where do you want us to begin?"  
"What the hell is the Institute?!" Mondo asked. Taka internally chastised his Kyodai's language, but didn't say anything out loud. After all, there were more important topics to discuss.  
"The Institute..." Alucard paused for a second, presumably to find the best way of easing Mondo into what the Institute was, "It is a hub for a community. We hold meetings, settle disputes and maintain our laws. Next question."  
"What community?" Mondo quickly asked. Taka bit his lip. Mondo would know soon.  
"To answer the question, I guess I should explain who I am." Alucard sighed, "My name is Alucard, yes. However, my birth name was Elizabeth. I guess you could call me a creature of the night."  
As if on cue, Taka could see Alucard warp from her chair behind her desk to sitting on the desk itself. Mondo jumped a little in his chair, and Taka could see the pieces slowly coming together in Mondo's mind.  
"Wait, you're fucking telling me that Vampires are real?" Mondo exclaimed after a moment of stunned silence.  
"Yes, Kyodai." Taka said quietly, before he could stop himself. Mondo _stared_ at Taka.  
Another moment of silence.   
"You're a Vampire." Mondo stated, matter of fact.   
"....I am, yes." Taka muttered, weakly, "It's... a long story."  
And he began explaining.  
 _A few days after Taka's 15th Birthday, Taka was walking home from his Kendo class. His father was out working, and wouldn't be home until later that evening, so Taka was to cook dinner and then start on his Japanese homework._  
 _As Taka began walking, he suddenly saw someone slumped against the wall. Male, possibly in his early to mid 20s, with messy, shoulder length dark hair that obscured his face._  
 _"Excuse me Sir!" Taka said, as he walked up to the individual. This man was clearly sick or wounded, and needed to get medical attention. As Taka approached the man, he knelt down beside him to check for a pulse._  
 _The next few seconds were all a blur._  
 _The man got up, and grabbed Taka, before pushing him against the wall. Taka tried to fight back, at one point kicking the man in his groin. However, for a slight individual, the individual grabbing Taka was stronger than he seemed_  
 _Taka shouted for help, as the man pressed his teeth against Taka's neck..._  
 _Before biting him_  
 _Taka's shouts turned into gargled screams as he started feeling woozy (presumably due to the blood loss). He struggled a little more, but he could feel his strength fading, as his limbs growing weaker and weaker..._  
 _And everything went dark._  
 _When Taka came to, he was lying in a bed in a large room he did not recognise. Taka weakly sat up, trying to work out what had happened. He vaguely remembered being attacked but..._   
_It was at this point that two women walked into the room. The younger woman had long, lavender coloured hair. The older woman had long, brown hair tied into a braid. Taka could tell that they were walking towards his bed._  
 _"I see you're awake." The younger woman stated calmly."_  
 _"I am..." Taka muttered weakly, noticing that his throat was very sore. He winced in pain. "I... I was attacked... I still need to...!"_  
 _"You need to rest, little one." The older woman with brown hair said firmly, "There's no easy way of putting it, but you're lucky to be alive."_  
 _"What... What do you mean?!" Taka's voice, whilst weak, still expressed how concerned he was. What had happened?_  
 _The two women looked at each other nervously. "Well, you see..."_  
"And then Kyoko and Alucard explained what happened, how they had saved my life, and everything about the Institute and my Vampirism." Taka said nervously, "They then rang my father, told him to come to the Institute and explained everything to him."   
Taka looked up at Mondo for the first time since starting his explaination, and saw that Mondo was a mixture of both furious and _amazed_   
"Well...?" Taka muttered nervously.  
"Firstly, the fucker that attacked you should die..." Mondo said quickly.  
"He's dead. I killed him." Alucard butted in in a matter of fact tone.  
"... Nevermind. Secondly, you kicked a guy in the dick?"  
"...It was not my proudest moment, but..." Taka began.  
"No buts." Mondo interrupted, "Ya did good, Kyodai."  
"...So no, 'my best friend could potentially kill me and drink my blood' fears?" Taka asked nervously, hoping that Mondo would say no.  
"Nah, you're still Taka." Mondo smiled, "If ya did kill me and drink my blood', you'd probably immediately send yourself to detention and shit."  
.... Taka chuckled a little at that sentence. Thank goodness Kyodai was on his side. Taka could also tell Alucard was also laughing at Mondo's statement. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath, composed herself, and turned to face Taka.  
"Now that's out of the way, Taka." Alucard said, looking at Taka seriously, "What happened in Hope's Peak this evening? Who is this Izuru Kamakura?"  
... _Shit_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not apologising for making Taka a Vampire btw.   
> Also in this house we support Mondo being a supportive as fuck.


	6. What Taka did

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka flashbacks to the events that led up to him "borrowing" Izuru Kamakura.  
> Hope's Peak Academy are jerks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for Part 2 of "Mondo gets all of his answers", albeit in flashback form.  
> Sorry if there was a slight delay, I had to split one chapter into 2 chapters because... It got kind of long. And by long, we are talking about 9 sides of A5 in handwritten form. It was fun to write, but also kinda exhausting.  
> Anyways, let's go! :)

_A Few hours earlier_  
"So, what do you require of me?" Taka asked, as he walked down a flight of stairs with a committee member.  
"We wanted to study your Ultimate Vampire Talent in more depth." Toshio Abe, a balding man in his 40s (The Former Ultimate Bodyguard, Taka quickly remembered), said quickly, with a smirk on his face.  
Taka smiled, unaware of Toshio's smirk, "I would be happy to assist in that endeavour."  
Toshio nodded, as the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs. Toshio led Taka to the first door on the left, before the two of them walked into a small, barren chamber.  
Inside there were two people waiting for them. The first was a woman in her mid-20s with her long, dark hair tied up in a bun. She was wearing a grey suit outfit with trousers instead of a skirt and was holdng onto a clipboard with her left hand. It took Taka a second to remember that her name was Etsuko Amari, the Former Ultimate Hitwoman.  
The other individual Taka did not recognise. They had long dark hair that covered their face and went down past their hips. Taka could tell that they were unconscious, judging by the fact that they were slumped against the cell.  
"This is Izuru Kamakura. He is the Ultimate Hope. Please turn him into a Vampire." Etsuko said in a cold, threatening tone.   
"But...!" Taka began to protest, when the two of them pointed guns at him.  
"The bullets are made of silver, just to let you know." Etsuko's icy tone made Taka's skin _crawl._  
If he refused, he would die.  
If he fought back, he would die. (After all, they were _excellent_ shots, and Taka did not know how to manipulate the darkness yet.)  
The only way he would live was if he turned Izuru, but that was not the morally right thing to do, _especially_ if Hope's Peak Academy had him.  
Taka did not want to die though.  
Suddenly, Taka had an idea. One that, whilst risky, would hopefully allow him to live and get Izuru to safety.  
Taka walked up to Izuru and knelt down beside the unconscious man. He quickly muttered an apology to Izuru (one that Izuru probably didn't hear), before pressing his fangs against Izuru's neck...  
And bit him.  
Immediatley Etsuko and Toshio lowered their guns.  
"Thank you." Toshio said with a smile, "You are free to leave."

\---

_Knock, Knock_  
Taka banged on Kyoko's door, hoping that she was in. The young detective quickly opened the door, and looked suprised to see Taka.  
"Taka?" Kyoko asked, with a puzzled look on her face.  
Taka grabbed her by the hand, before dragging her to Chihiro's room.  
"What's going on?" Kyoko asked, sounding confused and concerned.  
"I'll explain when I find Chihiro and somplace private to discuss matters." Taka muttered quietly. Kyoko nodded in response. Taka briskly knocked on Chihiro's door.  
Chihiro's door opened.  
"Chihiro, I need your assitance." Taka said immediatley.  
"Ummm....." Chihiro paused, before meekly asking "What's wrong, Taka?"  
Taka did not say anything for a second, but instead dragged Kyoko into the room and shut the door...  
And then Taka explained everything that Hope's Peak had shown him (though he did alter the story slightly, in order to hide the fact that he was a Vampire.) When he had finished, he looked at his two friends. Kyoko was looking at Taka calmly, but Taka could tell that she was _livid._ Chihiro, on the other hand, looked shocked, their hands covering their mouth.  
"So, what's the plan?" Kyoko quickly asked.  
"I write an email to both my mentor and Hope's Peak, in order to create an alibi." Taka began, "I'll tell my mentor that something happened, so that she is prepared to deal with Izuru, and ask for permission to undergo training this weekend. Once I have done this, Kyoko and I will break into the facility to rescue Izuru. Chihiro, can you alter the security footage to remove any evidence?"  
Chihiro was quiet for a second. Taka sighed, trying to reconcile the fact that he _was_ technically breaking the law in order to do the right thing. It was... not succeeding.  
"Sure, Taka." Chihiro said, sounding determined, "For your sake... and Izuru's."

\---

Suprisingly, the plan went off without a hitch. As soon as the Alibi was created, Kyoko and Taka walked towards the facility Izuru was being held in.  
It was easy to break in. With Kyoko's magical abilities and Taka's fighting prowess, they were able to knock out the guards and then make sure the guards forgot that the two of them were evn there.   
They quickly grabbed an unconscious Izuru (whose suit had dried bloodstains left from when Taka had... turned him. Taka shuddered at the thought of Izuru undergoing the change.) and they dragged him out of the facility.  
Eventually, they found themselves at the enterance of Hope's Peak Academy, where Taka was able to enact the final part of his plan.  
He texted Mondo.  
TAKA: Kyodai! If it doesn't disturb your studying, pleaxe can you grab your motorbike and sidecar and then pick me up at the enterance of Hope's Peak. There has been a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still do not know if this is in Character for Taka or not. Basically, would the Ultimate Moral Compass follow societies' morals or his own? I decided in this the latter because I think Taka would be aghast if he found out about Izuru... Also makes the story more entertaining.   
> Also haven't touched upon this yet, but there _is_ a reason Hope's Peak knows about Taka's Vampiricism.... 
> 
> Also I still find the juxtaposition of Taka leading a heist and Mondo doing maths homework kind of funny. It's as if they swapped Talents for an evening... :P


	7. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo and Alucard react to Taka's encounter.  
> A proposition is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been busy the last few days (and had no wifi) so yeah this chapter was published later than intended. Sorry! This is just a short chapter to bridge the heist arc with the world building coming up. :)  
> Also omg this fic is getting more views than expected and I is happy. :) I would love more reviews and stuff to see where I can improve, but I am happy with how things are going.

It took Mondo a second to gather his thoughts after Taka finished giving his testimony.  
Two individuals who worked at Hope's Peak had threatened Taka at _gun point_ to turn a student into a Vampire, so Taka decided to fuck the rules and bust the guy out of the Academy? Not only that, but Kyoko and Chihiro, the two least likely individuals to participate in a heist (after Taka), helped?  
Mondo pinched himself. Nope, he was awake.  
He just _blinked_ repeatedly at Taka, his mouth open slightly. He had questions, but he was too _stunned_ to say anything.  
"Hmmm...." Alucard broke the silence, "Everything makes sense now."  
"Wait." Mondo asked, "How did Hope's Peak know that..."  
"I told them I was a Vampire." Taka admitted, "With Alucard's permission, of course. It was so I could get blood supplies shipped into the Academy without anyone getting suspicious."  
Mondo nodded. That actually made some fucking sense.  
"Anyways, back to the matter at hand." Taka said quietly, "Am I in trouble for what I did? If so, you can punish me for this. But please, do not hurt..."  
"No." Alucard stated simply, "Turning someone into a Vampire without their consent is illegal. However, you _were_ threatened at gun point. You aldo did the right thing by bringing him here. For now you are free to go. Next time that happens, you have permission to beat them shitless."  
Taka breathed a sigh of relief at this statement. Mondo smiled that his Kyodai asn't going to get punished for what those assholes did.  
"So, err.... now what?" Mondo asked quietly, "Taka has explain everythin'. What happens now?"  
"I am going to be staying here for a few days, in order to undergo some rigerous training. I presume you will go back to Hope's Peak, or spend some time with the Crazy Diamonds." Taka began, in a serious tone.  
"But first..." Alucard butted in, "How about you show Mondo the Institute? I need to make a call before our training can begin."  
"Yeah." Mondo added, "This place sounds interesting and shit. It'd be interesting to have a look around." (No, this was not an excuse to spend more time with his Kyodai. That was just an added bonus.)  
Taka beamed (... Mondo bit his lip), "I would be honoured to give you a tour of the Institute!"  
And with that, Taka rose enthusiastically from his chair, and beckoned for Mondo to do the same. Mondo stood up in turn, noticing that Alucard had pulled out her mobile phone from her pocket, and allowed Taka to lead him out of Alucard's office and into the Institute proper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yep, the Institute allowed Taka to tell a select few higher ups (pretty much just this AU's Steering Committee, Kizakura and Jin Kiragiri) about his Vampirism in order to get blood shipments delivered to the Academy itself. Mondo and Chihiro are the only two human students who know about Taka's Vampirisim. 
> 
> Also, there's a bit of world building happening in the next two chapters, but if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them! ^.^ Obviously, will not answer any questions that give away spoilers, but general ones are fine. Also the "Is X Student a member of the Institute?" questions because I kinda know which ones are and which ones aren't, but I got a future chapter planned which will address that.


	8. Tour: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka shows Mondo most of the ground floor.  
> Banter and Lore are the result.

"So, let's start of by saying that this is the Vampire wing." Taka said, a small smile on his face.  
"Yeah, figures." Mondo smiled as he looked around and listened to Taka explaining the various rooms that led off from this corridor. There were offices that looked after the needs of the various Vampire Clans, and a conference room so that Vampires could discuss diplomatic matters and shit. However, some of the rooms were... more unique.  
"This is where all the blood is kept." Taka explained, matter of factory, as he pointed at one door, "Most of the blood is donated from individuals who use the institute services, but occasionally a human relative or friend donates blood to support us."  
Mondo paused for a second, before he quietly asked, "What's it like... you know, drinking blood?" He was unsure if he was being insensitive or not. Taka looked uncomfortable for a second, but he eventually took a deep breath.  
"Fairly normal." Taka admitted quietly, "But I remember hating it at first, as it was a constant reminder that I was no longer _human_. Luckily however, everyone was so supportive. I do not know what I would have done if I did not have them."  
Mondo reassuringly patted Taka on the shoulder, and smiled at him, "Even if you ain't human, you're still Taka. Drinking blood and shit doesn't change that."  
Taka _beamed_ (and Mondo thought that he looked adorable). "Thank you, Kyodai, I appreciate it."  
Mondo was then shown the rooms where individuals transformed into Vampires. Taka quickly confirmed that Izuru was in one of those rooms, before explaining that most Vampires tended to... Forget their transformations. Mondo could tell from Taka's tone that he really didn't want to discuss it in further detail, so he decided to change the subject.  
"Wait a sec. One question." Mondo asked, "You said you had fangs. But I never saw them when we were hanging out and shit...."  
"Firstly, Kyodai, language." Taka interrupted, "Secondly, I wear a braclet under my school uniform that hides my Vampire nature from those who are not aware of it."  
"Can I see?" Mondo asked.  
"Yes, Kyodai." Taka quickly undid the button on his left sleeve, before taking off a silver coloured braclet that was on his wrist. Taka looked up at Mondo, and smiled.   
Yes, Taka did have fangs. They were very small. They looked cute.  
"Ah, ok." Mondo said, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing. Taka smiled, before he put the braclet on and did up the button on his sleeve. After that, Mondo allowed Taka to lead him back into the reception area.  
"So, I am not allowed to take you into certain sections of the Institute." Taka sheepishly admitted, "However, I will describe each one to the best of my ability."  
Taka immediatley led Mondo to the doorway opposite the one that they had come out of.   
"That door leads to the Shifter Wing. Again, there are offices and conference centres as well as an easy access to a small paddock."  
"Shifters..." Mondo paused, "You mean like werewolves and shit?"  
"Exactly." Taka smiled fondly, whilst shaking his head (presumably due to his language), "Though a Shifter's animal form depends on the region they were turned in. In Japan, for instance, Shifters take the form of a fox."  
Mondo nodded, "Makes sense. Probably inspired the Kitsune and stuff."  
Taka nodded, before exclaiming, "Oh! Another thing I forgot to mention is that each race wear ceremonial outfits on special occasions. Vampires, for instance, wear Black. Shifters were green."  
Ah, so one of the receptionists is a shifter, Mondo thought to himself. He was... Slightly overwhelmed by the deluge of information (who wouldn't be?), but he was trying his best to keep up.  
"Anyways, I will show you the final corridor on the ground floor, and then I will show you upstairs." Taka smiled, "Any questions?"  
"Uhhhhh....." Mondo thought about it for a second, "What's it like being a Vampire? Any cool abilities?"  
"It is alright, actually." Taka admitted with a smile, "As for abilities.... my senses and reflexes have been enhanced greatly, and I am stronger than the average person. There _are_ other things Vampires can do, but I have not been taught them yet."  
"Can you turn into a bat?" Mondo asked quickly.  
Taka laughed, "No Kyodai, that's a myth."  
"Can you read people's minds?"  
"No, sadly I cannot do that."  
"Do ya sparkle in the sun and shit?"  
Taka looked at Mondo _quizzically_.  
"What? Hifumi did a dramatic reading of Twilight once." Mondo grimaced, remembering how _terrible_ Hifumi's acting was. Especially when he got into the romantic scenes.  
"Anyways." Taka's voice shook Mondo from his disturbing thoughts, "Shall we continue with the tour?"  
Mondo nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has brain bleach so I can get the mental image of Hifumi Yamada pretending to be Bella I would appreciate it.  
> Also in this house Mondo is supportive as heck.


	9. Tour: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka shows Mondo the rest of the Institute.  
> More World Building occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for not updating this for over a month. July... happened. Got very busy, and couldn't find time to write. Anyways, this is the penultimate chapter in Act 1!! :)   
> (Now... for the bits I don't have planned yet... *sweats nervously*)  
> Anyways, I hope that you enjoy! :D Also please make sure to write a review, I would love feeback as a writer and would love to discuss Vampire!Taka AUs and answer any questions. :)

Mondo followed Taka through the final doorway on the ground floor into what Taka called the "Health Wing". The corridor itself looked fairly clean, and had paintings hanging on the walls. There were also a few individuals milling about the corridor, but they seemed preoccupied with tasks and shit.   
"This room is our hospital." Taka stated, showing Mondo a fairly large room with lots of beds and medical equipment. Mondo could see one individual in a bed, joking with his friends (though Mondo couldn't hear the full conversation, he assumed that the person in the bed was alright.)   
"Looks nice." Mondo smiled, "Is this where Izuru...?"   
"Izuru will be dropped off in here once his transformation is complete." Taka quietly stated, "I want to be there when he wakes up so that I can apologise."  
"Can ya tell him I said hi?" Mondo said quickly.  
Taka nodded with a smile, before leading Mondo to the next room, which Mondo presumed was a large gym and training area, due to the mount of gym equipment contained within.  
"Niiiiiiiice...." Mondo grinned at the range of equipment, "Should train here sometime..."  
"Ah!" Taka exclaimed, "The equipment wasn't made with humans in mind..."  
However, Mondo didn't notice Taka's exclamation and walked towards the weights. He placed his hands around the smallest weight and tried to pick it up.  
It didn't budge.  
Huh!? Mondo took a quick look at how much the weight weighed and gasped when he saw that it weighed 75kg. Damn, no wonder he couldn't move it. The bigger weights must be fucking heavy then.  
"Yes, the weights were designed with Vampires and Shifters in mind." Taka explained, picking up the 75kg weight with ease. Mondo just blinked for a few seconds, stunned.  
"What's the heaviest you've lifted, Kyodai!?" Mondo asked, his voice sounding half impressed, half stunned.  
"175kg at a push." Taka said in response.   
They spent a few minutes in the gym area, looking at the equipment and the sparring room. Taka said that was where he would be spending the next few days, "getting his ass handed to him by Alucard" (Mondo's words, not Taka's. Taka did criticise his language, but agreed with Mondo.) After a few minutes, they left the area to head towards the final room on this floor.  
"That's a doorway to the paddock I mentioned earlier." Taka said quickly, pointing at a door that seemed to lead outside, "And this is the Mental Health Clinic. I... owe this place a lot."  
Mondo nodded, quietly asking, "Was it hard? You know, at the start?"  
Taka looked down at the ground, sadly, "It was. But the people here were incredible and finding out there were others here my age really helped."  
"I'm just glad you're ok." Mondo smiled, as the two of them walked out of the "Health Wing" and up the staircase in the reception.  
"There's only one corridor we can access on this floor." Taka explained quickly, pointing at the left most corridor, "This is the Mage Wing."  
"Is that what Kyoko is, what with her magical shit?" Mondo asked quickly.  
"I do not think her..." Taka said, deep in thought, before shaking his head, "However, she is indeed a Mage."  
"Anyone else?" Mondo asked.  
"Himiko Yuemo is a fellow Mage, but they are not in the same Circle." Taka replied.  
Circle? Mondo would have to ask Kyoko about this later.  
Taka then dragged Mondo over to the rightmost doorway, and said, "And this is the Fae Wing. There is only one Fae Court in Japan, but they use the Institute to study and be diplomatic."  
"Huh." Mondo paused, "I thought the Fae would be standoffish and shit."  
"Not at all!" Taka muttered, "Some are, yes, such as the Court of Endings in China, but this Court in General is pretty friendly, especially their Monarch."  
"Monarch?" Mondo asked.  
"The Archfae of Tokyo. Apparently, despite being a very old and powerful Fae, they occasionally take on human form just so that they can study humanity." Taka said quickly, "I have never met this individual, though I would like to one day."  
Mondo nodded.   
Finally, Taka led Mondo down the final set of doors towards the "General Wing".  
Unlike the other corridors, there wasn't much that was unusual. Just a library, conference room, a kitchen/dining area and several bedrooms (one of which was reserved for Taka.) However, it did seem nice (how much money did the Institute have?) and looked like it could support the Institute members nicely.  
After that, Taka and Mondo spent an hour in the dining room having dinner (and a mug full of warm Shifter blood in Taka's case) and discussing their days. Taka also told Mondo which students at Hope's Peak Academy were also members of the Institute (a few names Mondo recognised, such as Nagito and Himiko) as well as something about Byakuya and lectures? However, after an hour had passed, Mondo and Taka both agreed that Mondo needed to get back to Hope's Peak.  
Mondo waved Taka goodbye, and wished him good luck this evening, before heading back to the reception, and out of the Institute's doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the world's Institutes have a very similar layout to this one, though there are some differences. For exmple, the Novoselvic Institute, a.k.a. the most powerful Institute in this verse, has a lot of conference rooms and is actually a castle.  
> As to how they make their money? With a mixture of Clairvoyants and other old and powerful individuals, they make their money through stocks, investments, inheritance etc. etc. They are wealthy enough to give all of their members (about 30,000-40,000 globally?) free healthcare, education etc. etc.   
> As for Taka... I'm so tempted to write the aftermath of his transformation, to explain why he found it difficult at the start, but it wouldn't really fit into the story at the moment. My reasoning for this is that Taka found it hard to make friends in canon, but realising that he would pretty much outlive any human friends he makes in this verse was hard on him. Luckily, the Institute Teenagers are pretty nice and they all became firm friends.   
> And yes, Himiko is a Mage. I'm sorry, I had to. Nagito, on the other hand... wait and see. ;) There are others, but they'll be introduced in later chapters. Byakuya is not one of them though (he's a special case). I will also be explaining what Fae Courts are in later chapters as well.  
> Finally, because I couldn't fit it into the exposition dump, Mages wear Purple Ceremonial robes, and Fae light blue. There are also two other supernatural races that do not use the Institute, though I will be explaining that in future chapters.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo meets someone unexpected on the way out.   
> An unexpected friendship forms?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we are at the end of Act I- a.k.a. Phase One of Arranging the dominos! Thank you for being on this crazy ride, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the random little story that I am working on. :)   
> Again, just a short chapter, but the chapters are getting longer from here on out (hopefully) so yeah.   
> (Also, now that the act is over, I really need to go back and fix a few typos. I do my best to proof read each chapter, but sometimes something will slip by.)

"Ah, Mondo." Mondo looked up at the sound of his name, and saw an individual he knew _very_ well.  
"....Hi, Juzo." Mondo said nervously, taking several deep breaths. This guy was a hardass, and the _one_ thing he didn't like was students breaking curfew...  
Like him.  
Fairly regularly.  
Mondo gulped. What was he doing here? Was he...  
"What ya doing?" Juzo asked quietly, looking threatening, "Jeez, you're out late."  
"...Breaking curfew?" Mondo said, looking down at the ground. Even though they weren't on Hope's Peak Academy Grounds, Juzo could still slap him with a detention.  
Juzo laughed, "I can see that. So... did Taka explain everything?"  
 _What?_  
Juzo _wasn't_ telling him off?  
Mondo nodded nervously, "...Yeah. Shit's overwhelming, but I gotta support Taka. Just gotta get used to this, is all."  
"I'll admit, I've been a Shifter from birth." Juzo said seriously, looking amazingly sincere, "I grew up knowing about the Institute, so I don't claim to know what you're going through. But... you do remind me of a younger version of myself. You're loyal to your friends and you do keep your promises. Yeah, this stuff is new to you, but once you've gotten hang of this I'm confident that you'll become a very important ally."  
Mondo smiled, surprised at Juzo's statement, "Thanks, dude. One question... what the hell are you doing here!?"  
"Alucard informed me of everything Taka told her." Juzo admitted, "And I have questions for Taka and Izuru. Need some answers of my own for... stuff."  
Mondo looked at Juzo, a confused look on his face. Before he could speak, Juzo brushed him off by saying, "Anyways, I have stuff to do. It was nice talking to you. But if you break curfew again..."  
"You'll kick me into the middle of next week." Mondo replied immediatley, "Got it."  
And with that, Juzo just strode into the Institute. Mondo walked quietly back to his bike, deep in thought, before he revved his bike and drove away into the night...  
Yeah, he could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, an explanation as to why I wrote this scene:  
> For a while, I have seen Mondo and Juzo as foils of each other, same with Taka and Kyosuke. Because of this, I wanted Juzo and Mondo to interact, even though this is primarily an Ishimondo fic.  
> I don't claim to have Juzo's speaking patterns down pat, but due to a difference in background, he is slightly different to how he was in canon. In this fic, Juzo will probably be a little more calm and mature, but can also get kinda scary at times.  
> (Also this interaction allows me to set things up, so :) )  
> Anyways- onto Act 2! And time for more domino pieces to be placed onto the board...


	11. Thoughts and Cases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko thinks over what she has seen.  
> A few visitors arrive at her door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for Act 2 to begin.... with a Kyoko chapter!! :D This is one of the two setting up chapters for this act, but now have a rough idea of how things are going to turn out in this Act.  
> ALSO WE HIT 600 VIEWS. :D THANK YOU EVERYONE! :D Wasn't expecting this many people to be enjoying this verse, but I am glad you are enjoying it. :)

_A few hours earlier._  
Kyoko wandered out of Chihiro's room, after explainingas kuch as she could of the Institute ti the young programmer. They were coping... suprisingly well, all things considered. They were a little oveewhelmed, yes, but they were also looking forward to working with technomages in order to further develop Alter Ego, their AI program.  
Kyoko quickly pulled out her phone, and briefly logged into a group chat she was a member of. Nothing important jumped out at her, which was good. She needed to focus, and try and work out who Izuru Kamakura _was_ and what Hope's Peak was doing with him.  
"Hmmm...." Kyoko quietly hummed to herself, as she walked back into her room, and started trying to piece the pieces together.  
So, judging by the fact that she didn't recognise his name, Izuru was unlikely to be a regustered student in any class.  
However, he had been given a talent, and the steering committee wanted to study Taka's other talent in more detail through Izuru...  
_No_  
Kyoko quickly grabbed her notepad and wrote "human experiment?" in the margins. If she was right, then she would be _furious_ at her father for even allowing of this. If he did know about this of course.  
But if he did know about this, then he should have known that experimenting on humans was neither right or legal. _His_ love of talent had made him forget this, and now...  
_Knock, Knock_  
Who would be knocking on her door at such an hour? She walked towards the door and quickly opened it.  
Suprisingly, there were two individuals at her door. The first was a man in his mid-20s with short dark hair, who was wearing a security guard's uniform. He seemed concerned, but in a relaxed way (which Kyoko didn't think was even possible). The second was a woman with dark hair tied up in a bun, wearing a suit. She looked calm on the surface, but Kyoko could tell that she was angry about something.  
Of course, Kyoko recognised both of them.  
"Good Evening, Juzo, Etsuko." Kyoko said quietly, "What do you require of me?"  
"Hope's Peak has a case for you." Etsuko said curtly, dumping a folder in Kyoko's hands before walking off. Kyoko listened as Etsuko's footsteps grew quieter and quieter, before they faded into the distance.  
"I also have a case." Juzo admitted, when Etsuko had walked off, "Alucard called me regarding him."  
Kyoko nodded, "Come in."  
Juzo did, as Kyoko shut the door behind her. Once she had done so, she opened the folder Etsuko had handed to her as Juzo began to explain the case he had for her. According to him, he and Chisa were investigating the hidden corruption within Hope's Peak Academy under a man named Munakata's orders. They needed her help in revealing the corruption, as well as working out who Izuru Kamakura was.  
"Sure. I'll take your case." Kyoko nodded, "I have suspisions myself."  
By this point, she had finished skim reading the folder Etsuko had handed to her. Her suspisions were correct. Etsuko wanted her to find out who had stolen "valuable property from Hope's Peak Academy." Gods, they didn't even think Izuru was a _person_.  
"What case did Etsuko give you?" Juzo asked quickly, "You seemed hella annoyed by it."  
"They wanted me to find the people who took Izuru." Kyoko muttered, quietly, casuing Juzo to shook his head. Kyoko continued, "I'll take Etsuko's case as well."  
"What!?" Juzo gasped, "But..."  
"If I can get in on the Steering Committee's good side, then maybe I can also gather evidence for your case." Kyoko interrupted.  
Juzo nodded, "Actually, that makes sense. They wouldn't be suspisious of you snooping about, so you could keep an eye out on their activies."  
Kyoko smiled, "Indeed. Anyways, I should start working on both of these cases. I hope you have a good evening, Juzo."  
"You too." Juzo nodded, "Need to head to the Institute."  
Kyoko nodded, before Juzo left her room, shutting the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NGL, writing Kyoko's investigation is going to be hard (wasn't originally planning on Etsuko turning up and handing Kyoko a case, but it made logical sense), but it should be fun! :) Also, I hate Etsuko's guts, but she is fun to write....  
> Also, no idea how important Shuichi is going to be in this verse, but if he becomes important he isn't the Ultimate Detective in this verse. No idea what his talent is, but I'll work something out. :) (No, this is not foreshadowing, genuienly just realised that Hope's Peak wouldn't have two Ultimate Detectives in the same year. XD).  
> I'll be fixing any typos and errors this weekend as well.


	12. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alucard and Taka have the special training session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for what Taka was getting up to after Mondo left. :) I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope that you enjoy it too. :)  
> Also 30 kudos, holy mother of Bionis. Thank you! :D This means a lot, because it helps me keep motivated when writing this fic. :)

"You're ready, Taka." Alucard smiled, as she and Taka walked into the training room. By now, they were the only two individuals in the training room, and some of the very few people left in the building. Obviously, Juzo was busy interrogating Izuru for information, and Izuru was still in the hospital, but apart from that....  
Taka shook his head. He needed to focus on the _here and now._  
"Am I finally going to learn how to shadow weave!?" Taka asked enthusiastically, his speech patterns quickening, "I am honoured that you think I am ready to finally start learning this art. I have..."  
"Relax, Taka." Alucard smiled fondly, "I know you're excited. But keeping calm is important."  
"Err, yes. Sorry." Taka said sheepishly, taking off his Vampire Ceremonial jacket, and getting into a fighting stance. Alucard followed suit, and Taka's eyes quickly noticed her Dedication Brand on her collarbone.  
 _The Brand had long since dulled, symbolising that the person she had dedicated her life to was dead. Taka hadn't asked about it, but he was curious._  
"So, shadow weaving." Alucard began, "One of the most powerful techniques a Vampire can master. It allows us to manipulate the darkness to our own ends. For example..."  
Taka saw Alucard's left hand curl up into a fist, and she raised her left arm. Taka raised his right arm, and used it to guard against her punch.  
"Good." Alucard smiled, "You rely on Instinct in a fight."  
"I do, yes." Taka admitted with a smile, "The books on shadow weaving state that allowing your instincts to take over can allow you to manipulate the darkness more easily. For example, I could have used the darkness to form a shield to protect me from harm."   
"Aye." Alucard nodded, a slight accent creeping into her voice, "Clear your mind and focus on the darkness around you."  
Taka could see that Alucard's right fist was heading towards his side. Taka was stuck trying to work out what he should do next. Should he use the darkness to block, or deflect, Alucard's attack? What if...?  
 _thwack_  
"...oww." Taka winced, pressing his hand on his side, "That was... a good punch."  
"Thank you." Alucard smirked, as she went in for another punch. This time, Taka extended his right hand, attempting to block the blow.  
Taka could see whisphy dark tendrils dancing across his hand, as a small circular shield made of darkness appeared in front of him. Alucard's fist hit the shield, and she recoiled in pain.   
"I... I did it!" Taka said excitedly, as Alucard shook her left hand in pain, "I actually blocked an attack!"  
"Yeah, that was good." Alucard smiled, "You're doing better than I was when I was first learning. Shall we continue?"  
Taka nodded.  
For the next two hours, Taka and Alucard continued to train rigourously. Taka's understanding of shadow weaving continued to improve and, whilst there were areas he could still improve, he managed to get in a blow or two himself.  
Eventually, the two of them collapsed against the wall of the training room, feeling both exhausted and in pain.  
"That was... a good fight."  
"Aye."  
Awkward silence.   
The two of them spent a few minutes regaining their breath, as their limbs _ached_. Eventually Alucard was the one to break the silence.  
"So that was Mondo Oowada." Alucard said thoughtfully, "I can see why you like him."  
"Alucard!" Taka blushed (yes, Vampires can blush.), "Ummmm... Yes. I like my Kyodai a lot, but..."  
"He seemed pretty into you as well." Alucard smiled fondly.  
Taka's blush deepened.  
"Marie and I were dedicated to each other for almost a century." Alucard continued reminiscing, blinking back a few tears, "The way he looked at you, well, was how Marie used to look at me."  
"Erm...err....well..." Taka's face was bright red at this point, as he tried to stammer out a response.   
Alucard chucked a little at this, "Anyways, we should get some rest. We can carry on tomorrow. Night."  
And with that, Alucard slowly lifted herself up, as she slowly walked out of the training room. Taka followed behind shortly after, still thinking about Mondo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things lore/chapter wise I should explain here to prevent info dump in the story proper.  
> 1) A dedication is basically the Institute's equivalent of marriage. They are mostly romantic, though there are a few platonic dedications made as well. Alucard and Marie made a romantic dedication. Marie, however, was a Shifter, and died of old age a few centuries ago.   
> 2) As for Taka's fighting clothes- well you know the official artwork of him and Peko holding swords? Basically that outfit but in all black. I do want to sketch that though.  
> 3) Shadow Weaving. Surprisingly easy to pick up, but in order to learn it, you also need to learn how to fight and develop the instincts needed to manipulate the darkness effectively. One of the two techniques a Vampire can learn, the other being Shadow Warping (which uses the same skill set, but allows for teleportation.) Because Taka knows Kendo in the verse, he had already developed the instincts prior to being turned, which is why he had an easier time than Alucard starting out.


	13. Mondays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo has a Monday morning.  
> Also Taka.   
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .... And Byakuya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for the start of a new week in this fic! Time for Mondo to finally start a new week with a new concept of reality.   
> WE HIT 666 VIEWS, A.K.A. BEST NUMBER. :D Thank you all for that and the 30 Kudos. :)

_Beep, Beep._  
Mondo pressed the snooze button on his alarm clock, as he pressed his face into his pillow, with the intention of going back to sleep.  
Urgh, he hated Mondays.  
 _Beep, Beep._  
...Fine  
Mondo slowly rolled out of bed, falling onto the floor as his eyes began to open. He sat up, rubbing his eyes in order to feel more awake. A yawn escaped his body, as he just stared at the wall.  
Gods, he'd had a fucking busy weekend. Obviously, he found out that his old concept of reality was a fucking lie on Friday (to be honest, his new concept of reality was pretty fucking rad). He'd spent most of Saturday with the gang, driving around the streets of Tokyo rescuing cars from trees and helping little old ladies (...really. He had recently started reforming the gang so that they started helping people, instead of causing havoc.). He did his homework and shit on Sunday, and spent time with Chihiro discussing the Institute.  
And now... Back to class.  
On the plus side, Taka was due to be in class today, so he could finally ask how everything went. Spend time with his Cr... Kyodai. That would be pretty fucking sweet. Maybe approach Kyoko and ask 'bout her magic shit.  
Mondo stood up, and staggered to his en-suite bathroom, and went through his early morning routine. Once he had brushed his teeth and fluffed up his pompadour, he got dressed and headed out of his room.  
He fucking needed coffee right now.  
He walked through the corridors, saying good morning to his classmates, and quickly made his way to the canteen. Maybe Taka would be in here...  
Speaking of Taka.  
"Good morning Kyodai!" Taka said loudly, as Mondo walked into the canteen. Mondo smiled, as he quickly gave Taka a 'bro-hug'.  
"Hey Kyodai! Sup? How was your weekend?" Mondo said enthusiastically.  
"It was good. The training went well." Taka said with a smile, before whispering, "Izuru says hello."  
"Is he ok?" Mondo asked quietly.  
Taka nodded, as he took a swig from a silver coloured thermal flask. He quickly wiped a small droplet of red liquid from his mouth, before saying, "How was your weekend, Kyodai?"  
"'twas good." Mondo said with a smile.  
For the next 10-15 minutes, Taka and Mondo talked in more depth about their respective weekends over breakfast (Mondo had sausages, eggs and coffee. Taka had cereal and blood.) Taka beamed when Mondo recounted the story about the kitten he had rescued, and Mondo chuckled as Taka explained how his training went. Obviously, Taka couldn't fully explain everything that happened in his weekend, but he did his best.   
When they had both finished, they tidied up after themselves and headed off to class, bantering with each other along the way...  
Which immediately ended when they entered the classroom, and saw that one person was already in there.  
Byakuya Togami.  
"Ah, Mondo. A word." Byakuya said calmly, without a hint of emotion, as he walked up to Mondo. Taka shot Mondo a sympathetic look as Byakuya beckoned Mondo out of the classroom. Oh, so this was the Byakuya lecture Taka had mentioned on Friday.  
Eventually the two of them headed into the male bathrooms on the ground floor, and into one of the toilet stalls. Byakuya locked the stalls behind them and whispered, "So, my father saw you in the Institute on Friday..."  
"Huh!?" Mondo interrupted with a gasp.  
"Quiet." Byakuya tutted quietly, "Taka finally revealed the truth, huh."  
Mondo nodded, "Yeah."  
"Good for him." Byakuya muttered to himself, before continuing, "The Togami name has the blood of the Archfae of Tokyo running through its veins. Whilst I am not powerful enough to be an Institute member like my father, I am aware of the Institute's existence. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them."   
And with that, Byakuya unlocked the door. Mondo and Byakuya headed back to the classroom, Mondo kinda dazed by the whole experience.  
This shit was overwhelming. How the heck was everyone so calm when they casually revealled that they ain't human, or were descended from some powerful entity?! What next, the Artist girl in 78-B was a mermaid or some other dumb shit like that?  
Mondo slowly buried his face into his desk.  
Urgh, he hated Mondays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, Byakuya is human, but he is descended from a Fae. His father, on the other hand, is a Legacy which means that he actually has powers that he inherited from his powerful ancestor. There are some Legacies in this fic, and they will be revealing themselves soon. No, Yasuhiro is not one of those Legacies. His dad was descended from a Mage, and he does have abilities, but they are not strong enough for the Institute to deem him a Legacy.   
> I also feel kind of sorry for Mondo. He's pretty much had his entire concept of reality turned on his head and he's trying his best to understand and thinks it is cool, though he's still in the stage of processing everything.   
> Also after a lot of thinking, Shuichi Saihara is the Ultimate Puzzle Setter in this verse. He built a very successful series of Escape Rooms with his uncle, and that's why he got his talent.  
> ... I guess you all know now that I tend to hyperfocus on really small details. Oops?   
> Also, Mondays do suck.


	14. Group Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo and Taka work on a group project, the Chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Using the end notes for some what could have been discussions, so gonna post this question here. Hypothetically, If I was to write some one shots in this verse and post them in a second fanfic, would you be interested in reading them? It's just there are a couple of one shots I want to write, but the plots of them would not fit in this fanfic. One example would be writing the events of Taka's transformation, but from Alucard/Kyoko's perspective. 
> 
> Also thank you for the continued support! I know I say this every chapter, but it means a lot and I value all the Kudos/Bookmarks and comments. :)

"Good Morning Class!" Mondo looked up as his homeroom teacher gave her usual peppy morning greeting, "I _hope_ that you had a productive and wonderful weekend!"  
"I did, thank you Miss Wantanabe!" Taka said, a huge beam on his face, "I hope that you had an excellent weekend yourself."  
"Urgh, what a try hard." Junko quietly muttered under her breath, as Miss Wantanabe replied to Taka's greeting. Mondo heard, and turned to look at her with an angry glare.  
Luckily, neither Taka or Miss Wantanabe seemed to hear Junko (or if they did, they chose to ignore that damn Fashionista) and a few seconds later, Miss Wantanabe turned to look at her register. She quickly looked up at the class, as she began to take attendance. Each student (including both Mondo and Taka) replied to their names being called out with various degrees of enthusiasm (Taka was extremely enthusiastic... Mondo less so.)  
"Ok, class!" Miss Wantanabe said with a smile, "With Halloween fast approaching, I think it's in less than two weeks, I thought it would be fun if we split into groups of four to discuss a Halloween party."  
Everyone's ears perked up, Mondo included. Party? Heck yeah!  
"I have four groups. Decor, food, activities and music." Miss Wantanabe continued, smirking at everyone's sudden enthusiasm, "Junko, Sayaka, Byakuya and Leon are in charge of music."  
The four of them looked at each other, with various expressions on their faces. Mondo could see that Byakuya was particularly annoyed by these arrangements (to be fair, Junko and Leon could be annoying at times.) Leon, however, was overjoyed.  
"Aoi, Hifumi, Mukuro and Yasuhiro are in charge of food. No Alcohol." Miss Wantanabe continued, before adding, "Or drugs, Yasuhiro."  
"What!? That was one time!" Yasuhiro protested.  
"One time _too_ many." Miss Wantanabe replied, "Especially when elementary schoolers got hold of your 'brownies'."  
Yasuhiro promptly fell silent, as Taka glared at him with a furious expression on his face. (Was this a fucking good idea, Mondo wondered. Probably not, he decided a second later.)  
"Makoto, Toko, Celeste and Sakura are in charge of activities, leaving Kyoko, Taka, Mondo and Chihiro in charge of the Decor." Miss Wantanabe finished.  
The final two groups muttered their approval (mostly. Toko seemed upset that she ain't with Byakuya), and then, at Miss Wantanabe's behest, they arranged the classroom so that they were in their groups.   
"Ok, so we are in charge of the Decorations." Taka stated, "Firstly, we should measure the classroom, so that we know how many decorations we should buy."  
"I can help with that." Chihiro muttered, their hand placed under their chin, deep in thought, "I could probably get that done this evening, when the school day is over and no one is in here."  
Taka nodded, before saying enthusiastically, "Once we have done that, we can decide how many decorations we should buy! Any suggestions?"  
"Skeletons, pumpkins, shit like that?" Mondo said casually, causing Taka to fondly reprimand him for his language. Mondo laughed, then continued, "Maybe Halloween confetti to put on the tables?"  
Taka as about to say something, when Kyoko interrupted, "Hmmm... we would have to clean it up afterwards, but that sounds like a good idea thus far. Maybe some spider's webs to stick to the windows?"  
Chihiro nodded, "And fake spiders!"  
"What about the students with Arachnophobia!?" Taka interrupted quickly, his voice full of concern, "They would be terrified of the fake spiders."  
"But spiders tend to be a common Halloween decoration." Kyoko said thoughtfully.  
And so, this conversation continued for another half an hour, as the group decided on what else would be needed in order to decorate the classroom for the Halloween party. Taka ruled out any candles or open flames, as it was a health and safety hazard, but apart from that they had a good list of ideas of how they would decorate the classroom. Eventually, however, Miss Wantanabe called the end to the class period.  
Mondo looked down at his time table quickly, and saw that he had his Arts and Crafts class next. Actually, that was a nice class. There weren't that many people in the class, but most of them were pretty dang friendly. He was also looking forward to finishing the wood carving he was working on. His Kyodai, on the other hand, had already headed off to his next elective class, Martial arts.   
Kyoko, meanwhile, has chosen to linger behind for a second, which was unusual for her. She quickly ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook, and quickly wrote something down on it, before tearing the paper in half. She quickly ran up to Chihiro, who was on their way to the Martial arts class as well, and handed them one of the pieces of paper.  
"Mondo." Kyoko muttered, handing him the other piece of paper, "For you."  
Mondo opened it.  
 _My Phone number is 0256165219. Remind me to add you to the group chat._  
Group chat? He would have to ask Kyoko later.  
Mondo quickly finished packing up his bags, before heading off to his next class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ririn Wantanabe is actually based on the Gym Teacher that attempted to break into Hope's Peak Academy with Koichi Kizakura. I like to imagine that she's a kind teacher, nowhere near as intense as Chisa, but sets her class various group projects for _reasons_. For example, this Halloween Party is meant to develop the classes' teamwork, communication and organisation skills, all of which will be important for the students' future. 
> 
> Oh gods, Junko Enoshima. I don't like her in canon anyways, but her very existence is one of the reasons I had to change one of my original plans for this fic. To explain, in early drafts the Vampire who turned Taka wasn't some nameless NPC. It would have been Mukuro Ikusaba. I had her backstory planned out and everything. However, because I didn't want Junko to have a Vampire-shaped Nuke which she could use to cause the tragedy, I did not make Mukuro a Vampire. There are other reasons for this change (I think there are at least 3 other reasons?) but now is not the time to discuss the other reasons. Junko Enoshima is _not_ a threat in this fic, mainly because Mage!Kyoko is keeping an eye on her and Junko herself is.... not as Despair-focused as she is in canon. 
> 
> As for the classes, everyone has to attend Maths, Japanese, English and Science classes, along with working on their talent, so every other class is basically chosen by the student in question. Taka went for History, Martial Arts, Politics and Geography for instance. :) It allows the students to tailor their education to suit their talents whilst getting a well rounded education. 
> 
> Also RIP Yasuhiro.


	15. Group Chats and New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo finally joins that group chat.  
> He finally meets everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... Erm.... 800 views? THANK YOU! :D This fic is doing a lot better than I expected it would and it's all thanks to you wonderful people. :) 
> 
> I also wrote a one shot set in the same verse, so if anyone is interested who hasn't seen it yet it is part of the same series and stuff. :) Got a few more I want to write but want to finish Act 2 before I do so. :D

Eventually Mondo's classes had finished for the day, and the Decor group had just finished measuring the classroom where the Halloween Party was due to take place. Now, Mondo was heading back to his room for the evening. He was planning on contacting Kyoko and make a start on his homework before spending some quality time with Taka.  
He quickly unfurled the crumpled up sheet of paper with Kyoko's number on it, before he grabbed his phone and sent her a quick text.  
MONDO: Hey Kyoko! Mondo here. Can ya add me to the group chat ya mentioned in class? Thanks.  
A few seconds later, his phone buzzed as Kyoko sent him a reply.  
KYOKO: Hello Mondo. Of course I can.  
His phone buzzed again, this time with an invite to a group chat called **The Institute Teens at Hope's Peak**. Mondo quickly accepted the invite, and finally joined the group chat.  
**VermillionMage** : Awww, you guys get a Halloween party? Lucky. Mr Kizakura hasn't organised one for us.  
**TechWarlock** : To be fair, we're organising it ourselves. Taka, Kyoko and Mondo are sorting out the decorations with me.  
**Mondo Oowada** : Hey, Chi.  
**TechWarlock** : Hey, Mondo! You're here!  
**Mondo Oowada** : Course I am.  
**OverlordOfIce** : Ah! The other mortal has joined our dark coven. Greetings, Mondo Oowada. I am Tanaka, the forbidden one. A man who can claim descent from a powerful Mage.  
**Mondo Oowada** : .... Is he always like this?  
**DarkLady** : Yes! :D <3 We should probably introduce ourselves. I am Sonia Nevermind, a Legacy descended from a Vampire and a Fae.  
Mondo took a break from texting for a split second, stunned. Holy shit, he was in a group chat with the fucking _Ultimate Princess_!? Well.... Ok?  
**Mondo Oowada** : .... Mondo Oowada. Nice to fuckin' meet ya?  
**DarkLady** : Likewise. xD  
**VermillionMage** : .... Himiko Yumeno. Mage.  
**Hope-filledFae** : Nagito Komaeda.  
**Shifter-in-training** : The name is Gonta! :D  
**Hope-filledFae** : This is truly a hopeful and wonderful meeting, Mondo Oowada.  
**DruidMum** : Seiko Kimura. I am also a Mage. Apologies, I have a date with Mikan imminently, so this is a rushed greeting.  
**DarkLady** : Oh, that's tonight isn't it? I hope that it goes well! :)  
**DruidMum** : Thank you.  
**Hope-filledFae** : I hope that you enjoy this chat and that we can become firm friends. :)  
**VermillionMage** : Nagito.  
**All-seeingDetective** : Nagito.  
_OverlordOfIce has changed Mondo Oowada's nickname to HellBiker_  
**HellBiker** : Good Choice. *thumbs up*  
**OverlordOfIce** : Thank you, mortal. Now you are an official member of our Dark Coven.  
Mondo chuckled to himself a little. Honestly, the group chat didn't seem that bad. Yeah, they were a little crazy (but then almost everyone at this fucking school was a little crazy) but they were _nice_ crazy.  
With the introductions out of the way, Mondo pulled out his school books, and started on his Japanese homework, _occasionally_ (i.e. regularly) checking in on the group chat to see what the hell was going on.  
There were quite a few big things, excluding Seiko's date, going on. Firstly, Gundham and Sonia were planning their dedication (whatever that was), and had invited the group to an after dedication party. Gonta was sitting his final Orientation exam on the 20th of November (to become a Shifter? Because he was still human? It was hella confusing.) Finally, a young Mage named Maya Kitagawa had been scouted for Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Researcher or somethin'.  
Apart from that, most of the discussion topics in the group chat were fairly normal (or as normal as a discussion between a bunch of non-human teenagers could be). It wasn't suprising in the slightest, but Mondo kinda liked it anyways. After all, it was helping him get used to the new reality he was living in.  
Eventually, he heard a knock on his door. Mondo smiled, as he looked at the clock on the wall. Taka was as punctual as always. Mondo quickly got out of his chair and ran (if Taka asked, he was power walking, ok?) towards the door, opening it with a rough but fluid motion.  
"Hey, Kyodai!!" Mondo said with a smile, as he felt his face heating up.  
"Good evening Kyodai!" Taka replied enthusiastically, "So, what is the plan?"  
"Still need to do my Japanese homework." Mondo sheepishly admitted, "But then watch Anime and Chill?"  
"That sounds like an excellent plan, Kyodai." Taka said with a fond smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, in the group chat:  
>  **Shifter-in-training** : Where is Mondo?  
>  **All-seeingDetective** : He said he was studying with Taka this evening.  
>  **VermillionMage** : "Studying"  
>  **DarkLady** : "Studying" indeed. ;)  
>  **Shifter-in-training** : Ah yes! Studying hard is important to becoming true Gentlemen! :D
> 
> And so the group chat low-key engaged in shipping Taka and Mondo, whilst Gonta does not get the subtext. ;)
> 
> So, funnily enough, the Group chat thing was kind of accidental. Was looking for a quick way to introduce Taka's Institute friends and then found several excellent group chat fics, which inspired this chapter. Most of the characters were already chosen by that point. The only one who wasn't was Gonta, but then I read his V3 fabricated backstory and realised it would work in the verse so included him. :)
> 
> All of the chat names were decided by Gundham, which allowed me to be as hammy as I wanted with these nicknames. And yes, Kyoko is All-seeingDetective. Taka's... Will come up later and requires lore to explain it. 
> 
> Also Seiko/Mikan was born from me accidentally writing Mikan's name in Seiko's message and then realising that _that works suprisingly well _. Mikan is human, and is not aware that Seiko is a Mage yet.__
> 
>  
> 
> __  
> _Just a few more lore things before I end this authors note._  
>   
> 
> __  
> _1) Yes, in the One shot, Kyoko did not mention Seiko or Sonia. There is a reason for this. Seiko was busy at Hope's Peak (first year student) so didn't have time to hang out at the Institute. Sonia, meanwhile, arrive at the Institute roughly 6 months after Taka was turned into a Vampire._  
>   
> 
> __  
> _2) Sonia and Gundham, like Byakuya, are descended from supernatural entities. However, the two of them have strong enough abilities to be noticed by the Institute and become full members as a result. And yes, the Nevermind royal family is why the Novoselvic Institute is one of the more powerful Institutes._  
>   
> 
> __  
> _3) To become a Vampire/Shifter/Fae/Mage, any potential candidate has to sit a year long exam which tests their willingness to be a member of the community and their moral integrity. Gonta decided he wanted to be a Shifter because he was adopted by a Pack of Shifters (the same one Juzo leads) and wanted to join. Taka, Izuru and Nagito are exceptions to this as due to circumstances they _couldn't _sit the normal orientation.___  
> 


	16. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka takes a moment to reflect on his fears about entering a relationship with his Kyodai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES I GOT A CHAPTER OF THIS FIC PUBLISHED ON TAKA'S BIRTHDAY HECK YEAH! 
> 
> ... Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter! :)

A few hours passed.  
Taka and Mondo had finished their Japanese homework an hour and a half after they had started on it, before the two of them watched some Vampire Anime named Hellsing. Mondo had claimed it was for 'research purposes'. Taka accepted these claims, but found Hellsing too gory in his opinion. Not only that, but the Anime's portrayal of Vampires was grossly inaccurate and the Alucard in Hellsing was.... Well.... Evil?  
(And yes, Taka had spent the last several hours pointing out the errors Hellsing made in portrayal of Vampires as well as explaining Vampire physiology, society and history, whilst Mondo listened in silence, asking a few questions of his own to further his understanding.)  
Right now, Mondo had fallen asleep next to Taka as the end credits theme began to play.  
_I never really feel quite right._  
_I don't know why, all I know is there's something wrong._  
_Every time I look at you, you seem so alive._  
Taka smiled quietly to himself, as he watched Mondo sleep peacefully. Mondo looked _beautiful_ , once you got past his corncob hair and Biker uniform (both of those things Taka was _very_ fond of, thank you very much) and saw the kind, loyal man underneath.  
Taka felt his face heating up as he thought about his Kyodai. Alucard was right. Taka had slowly but surely fallen in love with his Kyodai.  
Of course, the idea of loving a man wasn't an issue for Taka. He'd known that he was gay long before he had become a Vampire and he was out to everyone he knew.  
The issue Taka had was... Mondo was still _human._  
Taka knew that he wouldn't age much in the next 50, 60, 70, even 80 years. Alucard herself said that in the 250 or so years she had been a Vampire, she had only aged by about a decade. If Taka was lucky, he would finally look like he was in his early twenties in a century or so.  
Mondo on the other hand... He would grow up, grow older and eventually die whilst Taka was still stuck in the timeless body of a teenager. And Taka didn't want that. He didn't want to build a life with Mondo, only to watch helplessly as death came for his lover.  
And yes, Mondo could ask to be turned, but Taka did not want Mondo to make that decision for Taka's sake.  
In all honesty, it was times like this that he _hated_ being a Vampire. The constant reminders that everyone Taka loved and cared about would pass on long before Taka's hair started to go grey. Yes there were a few exceptions, but Nagito and Taka had their differences (even though they were 'friends') and Alucard herself would pass on long before Taka would.  
It just wasn't fair.  
"Mrgh... Taka?" Taka was shaken from his thoughts as Mondo quietly muttered his name (gods, Taka loved that, though he wouldn't admit it out loud), "What... Time is it?"  
"Oh, it is 10pm!" Taka said, sounding surprised, "I should head back to my room..."  
"Stay?" Mondo interrupted quietly, wrapping his arms around Taka's waist. Taka looked down and barely resisted the urge to aww over how cute his Kyodai was being.  
"...ok." Taka said quietly, "But let me get ready for bed first, all right?"  
Mondo nodded sleepily. With that, Taka left Mondo's room in order to get ready for his impromptu sleepover with his Kyodai, whilst hoping to make each precious second count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellsing is amazing btw. Haven't seen Ultimate yet, but the OVA is so good. And that is the only world building you need for today.


	17. Etsuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko has a meeting.  
> Things get interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gods I have been so busy this month. But I am back and I have a chapter and a one shot to post. :)  
> We hit 900 views. Oh my words thank you everyone for that. And we are almost at 40 kudos which makes me very happy.

It was Tuesday evening.  
Kyoko Kirigiri had long since finished her final class of the day, working with the Ultimate Puzzle Setter Shuichi Saihara, to test and fine tune an escape room he was working on. The concept itself, that of the players being humans trapped in an abandoned space ship, was fascinating, though there were a few puzzles that would be too hard for the average citizen. Luckily, Shuichi agreed and he was working on making the puzzles more fair.  
Now, however, Kyoko Kirigiri was walking over to Etsuko Amari's office in order to ask her about the stolen Hope's Peak property.   
Of course, Kyoko knew what had been stolen (she helped steal it after all!) but she had to pretend she didn't know. Etsuko was fairly good at reading people and the last thing Kyoko wanted was for Izuru and Taka to be endangered by her actions.   
She did not trust Etsuko _one bit._  
 _Knock, Knock_  
"Come in."  
Kyoko opened the door, and walked into Etsuko's office. Etsuko quickly took her feet off her desk, and sat up in her chair. Kyoko took a deep breath as Etsuko glared at her.  
"Evening, Kirigiri." Etsuko said calmly, "How is the investigation going?"  
"It's going ok." Kyoko admitted carefully, "I have a few questions for you."  
"...Ok." Etsuko said, after a few seconds of painful silence, "What do you want to know?"  
"What property was taken from Hope's Peak Academy?" Kyoko asked in a matter of fact tone.  
"It's confidential." Etsuko said quickly.  
"How can I investigate what was stolen if I do not know _what_ was stolen?" Kyoko replied calmly, hoping that Etsuko would not notice her lie.  
"Well... The camera footage was tampered with!" Etsuko said, raising her voice which surprised Kyoko a little, "There's only one person who could do that..."  
"I had that thought myself." Kyoko interrupted, "I already interviewed Chihiro Fujisaki. They had no involvement in this case." Another lie.  
"They could be lying." Etsuko replied quietly.  
"Chihiro may be one of my closest friends, but they cannot lie at all." Kyoko said calmly, "They were telling the truth. Please tell me what was taken."  
"...Urgh." Etsuko sighed, unwillingly accepting defeat, "But what I am about to tell you must not leave this room. Understand?"  
"Detective's honour." Kyoko nodded. She was _not_ intending to keep this promise.   
"...Ok." Etsuko sighed, "What was taken was a top secret experiment, which was part of the Izuru Kamakura project. We managed to give a random Reserve Course student every talent imaginable.... The last person to see the experiment, apart from Toshio and myself, was Kiyotaka Ishimaru."  
"Do you suspect him of having stolen the experiment?" Kyoko asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.   
Etsuko placed her hands to her face, deep in thought. A few seconds passed, before she said, "Possibly. He left the Academy for the weekend though. Maybe interview him, just in case."  
Kyoko nodded, "I will do. Thank you for answering my questions. Please can you send me the Izuru Kamakura project files so I can familiarise myself with what was taken?"  
"Urgh... Fine." Etsuko groaned, "As long as you burn them once you are done."  
Kyoko nodded, "Thank you."  
And with that, Kyoko immediately left Etsuko's office, before she breathed a sigh of relief. That could have gone a lot worse. She quickly pulled out her phone, and texted Juzo.  
\---  
KYOKO: Evening, Juzo. Can you and Chisa look for missing Reserve Course Students?  
JUZO: On it.  
KYOKO: Thank you.  
\---  
Now, her other investigation was back on track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I solved the Shuichi dilemma I had a few chapters ago. He gained his talent in this verse by helping his uncle set up one of the most popular Escape Rooms in Tokyo.  
> Also Etsuko is really fun to write. I know I have said that before, but I really enjoy writing her.


	18. Study Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka and Mondo study in the library.   
> They recieve some news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally get some time to type up some chapters! :D I am currently one sentence in to Chapter 23 (chapter 9 needs a little reworking though) and I think I am four chapters away from Act 2 so I need to do some catching up. xD I'm also getting to the point where the narration is going to be more from Taka's perspective and not Mondo's- Mondo will still be a main character, but the narrative is kinda leading towards Taka being the main 3rd person Narrator for Acts 3 and 4.   
> Firstly WE ARE ALMOST AT 1000 VIEWS OH MY GODS I AM SO HAPPY. :D  
> Secondly, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

"Hey, Kyodai." Mondo was shaken from his studying as Taka asked him a question.   
"Yeah?" Mondo answered in response, curious as to what Taka wanted to ask him.  
"Are you free this weekend?" Taka asked quickly, "My father has invited you over so that he can meet you. We can also study and buy decorations needed for the Halloween Party."  
Mondo nodded, "Heck yeah! And we could get Halloween costumes! You'd make a fucking great Vampire!"   
Taka simultaneously both laughed and groaned (luckily Taka was ok with Mondo making terrible Vampire jokes), before saying, "....Ok, that was actually amusing. What do you plan to go as Kyodai? A demon Biker?"  
Mondo smirked at the reference to his group chat username, "Nah, haven't decided yet. Maybe a Vampire? I dunno?"  
Taka smiled warmly at this, wrapping his arms around Mondo's shoulders, "Yes! We could go as a matching pair! That is an excellent idea Kyodai."  
"Heck yeah!" Mondo said enthusiastically, before immediately remembering that he was in a library when other students were studying. He sheepishly added, "Oops, sorry." Mondo looked around, and saw a few students _glaring_ at him. Mondo could distinctly see and hear the Ultimate Maid shake her head, roll her eyes, mutter "Why?" before resuming her studies.   
"Heck yeah." Mondo repeated himself, more quietly this time. This time Taka chuckled a little at his Kyodai's antics, causing Mondo to both smile and blush a little. Mondo continued, "Let's do it."  
"Indeed." Taka smiled fondly.  
It was at this point Kyoko Kirigiri walked into the library. She seemed stressed (suprisingly) as she strode towards Mondo and Taka's desk. Mondo was intrigued. Maybe Kyoko wanted to discuss Halloween party preparations with them? But if so where was Chihiro?  
"Taka, a word." Kyoko said quietly. Taka and Mondo looked at each other, both of them looking intensely concerned, the light hearted mood from earlier _gone_. Taka nodded, and followed Kyoko out of the Library door. Mondo watched them leave, before looking down and trying to focus on his studies. However, he was struggling to focus.   
Something bad must've happened, if even Kyoko looked hella nervous. And if she wanted Taka, it must concern him.   
And this scared Mondo, especially when his mind wandered and focused on Izuru, still in protective custody at the Institute. Sonia had planned to ship him to Novoselvic that weekend, and then all trace of him would be gone.  
But had Hope's Peak started suspecting Taka for the theft? What they do if they got conclusive proof? Would he be expelled? Would they try to kill him? Would Taka have to go on the run?   
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine." Mondo said, trying to reassure himself. Taka wouldn't be caught, they wouldn't suspect him, everything would be good. Right?  
And if anything did go wrong, Mondo would protect his Kyodai. Give him a place to hide until Hope's Peak gave up on looking for him. And he could get the gang to protect him when Mondo had to be at Hope's Peak!   
Mondo continued to reassure himself, when Taka walked back into the library a few minutes later. Taka's face was blank, as he sat down at his desk and looked at Mondo dead in the eye. Taka took a deep breath, as Mondo's heartbeat began to get faster. Oh no...  
"Kyoko advised the two of us to work on our cover stories for last Friday." Taka said quietly, "Etsuko mentioned me earlier today in conjunction with Izuru Kamakura."  
"...Shit." Mondo said quietly, sounding nervous, "She's scared that Etsuko is onta you?"  
Taka nodded, "She said that she'll try and suspicion away from us, but Kyoko wants us to remain vigilant. Especially because..."  
"Because what?" Mondo asked, a hint of panic causing his voice to rise in pitch. Luckily none of the other students in here seemed to notice this.   
"Kyoko believes that, despite seeming calm and collected, Etsuko seems to allow her impulses to get the better of her." Taka said quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.... Things aren't looking too good for Taka. Luckily, Mondo is there to protect him. This wasn't in my original plans for the fic, but I feel that Kyoko would let Mondo and Taka know in advance, just in case Etsuko says hi.   
> I need Vampire!Taka fanart. I just... Love the idea so much and haven't seen any. Is there any?   
> _Also hi Kirumi!_


	19. The Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo focuses on the present.  
> Especially _this_ weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for vanishing off the face of the Earth. October was busy, especially because I was getting ready for a con (which involved me making a cosplay outfit). But now the con is over and accidentally wrote two chapters of this fic in one day.  
> So now for the final Chapter in the Mondo arc (but we are still in Act Two. Got the final two chapters left of the Act to go!) I also have two one shots I need to write. I'll start writing them once I finish on Act II.  
> I also have two Danganronpa fanfic ideas that I want to develop but again I am waiting until act two is over before I start work on them.  
> Yeah this chapter doesn't have much going on, but it's needed for rounding everything off Mondo wise and then _Taka's Arc can begin._

The two of them did work on their cover story after that.  
They both decided that, after turning Izuru, Taka would have received a request from Alucard, telling him to go back to the Institute for the weekend. He would have invited Mondo to join him, and would have finally revealed the truth to him. Mondo would feign not knowing about Izuru, and would also admit that Taka's Vampirism was 'hella cool'.  
Mondo felt pretty confident that this would work. After all, they had enough time to practice their cover stories, Alucard was willing to assist in the cover up _and_ Chihiro had deleted all of the incriminating evidence from their phones and laptops.  
He could just breathe a sigh of relief.  
And, surprisingly, even with that cloud hanging over them, Mondo had a good week at school.  
Classes were going well. With Taka's help, he was finding studying easier, and his test results were steadily increasing. Even the classes that he didn't have with Taka were pretty good, especially his Arts and Crafts classes. Mondo could see a steady improvement in his carpentry skills, and was looking forward to improving them more.  
Extra-curricular stuff was also pretty darn good. Obviously, the fucking gang was great as always, and his friendship circles at school were also doing good? He was gettin' along well with everyone in Class 78-A, mainly because they were being surprisingly organised when it came to the Halloween Party (though at one point Yasuhiro did annoy Makoto by insisting that Makoto should dress up as a Fairy. And that's all Mondo has to say on the matter.) Mondo was also starting to get to know the Institute kids a little better, and he enjoyed their presence in the group chat.  
But the most important thing was that everything was startin' to make fucking sense. The group chat had been understandin' and shit when it came to him and Chihiro asking all of the questions about the institute. Everything from how Kyoko, Himiko and Seiko's magical shit actually worked to what an Orientation exam was. Even Nagito's long and rambling essay on the Fae helped (though Mondo did have to reread it a few times in order for it to sink in.) Everything was starting to make fucking _sense._ Maybe in a few years or somethin' Mondo might ask to become a Vampire or a Shifter himself, do the Orientation exam and all. For now, Mondo was content with remaining human.  
And also there were more important things Mondo's mind needed to focus on.  
Especially on the fact that he was finally meeting his fucking crus- I mean, Taka's _dad_ this weekend. From what Mondo knew, Taka's dad was a _cop_ and Mondo presumably had a criminal record longer than...  
Mondo didn't know. He knew that it was pretty fucking long though.  
Taka's dad would _hate_ him, no matter what Taka did in order to try and make Mondo seem like a better person than he _was._  
And yeah, Mondo was tryin' to pretend he wasn't scared but he was in fact scared.  
Well, he needed all of the luck he could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, I have to do the stereotypical Mondo meets Taka's dad scene. :P  
> Also the group chat in question is a one shot and can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15793866/chapters/37670972#workskin  
> If the link doesn't work, just go to Memories of the Institute and find the second one shot. :D  
> I debated on if I should include this one shot in the main fic for a while, but decided to make it a one shot in the end because otherwise this chapter might have felt slightly redundant. But yeah, it allowed me to expand on the lore which I needed to do for my own sanity.  
> Also just because this is the end of Mondo's arc, it doesn't meant that the Mondo chapters are going to stop. :) It just means that, after Act II most of the chapters will be written from Taka's perspective.


	20. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo meets Taka's dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Act II is finished, I know how many chapters I have left of this fic to write, and I roughly have a writing schedule in place (I say rough, because I don't tend to be good at schedules lol).
> 
> Rough Schedule:  
> Last week and this week are going to be used to write:  
>  \- One shots for Memories of the Institute.   
>  \- Planning a couple of other Fanfics (one is ahead of   
>  schedule and the other is... Not.   
> In these two weeks I will be uploading one chapter a week. I have one one shot for Memories that is also written and will be uploaded at some point this week.  
> After that, I'll get back to working on Act III. :D
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with this Fic. :)

**BikerBoy:** Chi, ya sure ya can't come meet Taka's dad?  
 **TechGuru:** I'm sorry Mondo. Kyoko said that the Former Ultimate Robotist, Professor Tatsuya Idabashi, wanted to meet me this weekend. I'm a fan of his work and I really want to meet him. :)  
 **BikerBoy:** Fair enough. Have a good weekend.  
 **TechGuru:** You too. :)  
"Was that Chihiro?" Taka asked quietly, "Are they free this weekend?"  
Mondo sighed, remembering that he may have accidentally panicked last night and had invited Chihiro because he was scared of Takaaki Ishimaru. He was definitely regretting that now.  
"Nah. Chihiro is meeting some big wig Robotist that they are a fan of." Mondo replied quickly, "Sounds kinda fun to be honest."  
Taka nodded in understanding, before saying, "Ah, ok. Are you still feeling nervous about meeting my father?"  
"Like hell yeah I am!" Mondo said, his body becoming more animated and raising his voice a little due to nerves, "Yer dad must think I'm some random hooligan ya picked up off the street...!"  
"Yes, my dad knows you run Japan's largest and most notorious Biker Gang." Taka admitted reassuringly, "But I've told him that you're trying to reform the gang and he thinks that you're alright, so there should be nothing to worry about."  
Mondo nodded, but didn't really feel assured by Taka's words. Maybe he was saying that to make Mondo seem less scared of him but in actuality he already had handcuffs ready to arrest him....  
By now, the two of them were approaching the small apartment block that Taka called a home. It definitely didn't seem like a place you'd expect a Vampire to live, Mondo thought to himself, as he followed Taka. Taka smiled, and led Mondo enthusiastically up several flights of stairs, before the two of them eventually arrived at a non-descript brown door.  
Taka knocked on the door.  
A few seconds later, the door opened, and Mondo could see a tall, tired looking middle aged man with greying hair open the door. Mondo was taken aback for a second because he looked remarkably like his Kyodai.  
That must be...  
"Father!" Taka exclaimed, hugging the older man, "It is good to see you! Mondo, this is my father, Takaaki Ishimaru. Father, this is Mondo Oowada. I told you about him over the phone..."  
"So..." Takaaki Ishimaru said quietly, glaring at Mondo _intensely_. Mondo gulped a little at this. Takaaki continued, "You're the one who runs the _Crazy Diamonds?_ Interesting how..."  
"Yeah!" Mondo said nervously, as Takaaki continued to glare at him, "I... I ain't all bad news! I'm trying to reform the gang, and do well in my studies and... I haven't started a fight in a while! Please..."  
"Relax." Takaaki said, his stern facial expression softening as he smirked at a very nervous Mondo, "It's ok. From what Taka has told me, you seem like a good kid."  
Mondo was taken aback by what Takaaki said. It took him a few seconds to stammer out a nervous "...Thank you?."  
Takaaki laughed, "You're welcome. Now, how about we get a _bite_ to eat before you two head out to buy decorations?"  
Taka groaned at Takaaki's jokes, probably used to the terrible Vampire based puns, "...yes _dad._ "  
"Now, now." Takaaki continued, "Yes, I know my puns _suck_ , but I've got to use my right to make terrible dad jokes."  
Taka facepalmed at this. Mondo, with a smirk, added, "So what, we havin' _steak_ for lunch or somethin'?"  
"...Traitor." Taka muttered softly, albeit with a small smile on his face.   
With that, the three of them headed into the small flat in order to have food (sushi) and discuss the Halloween decorations Mondo and Taka needed to buy, and Mondo wondered what the fuck was he worrying about in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The _necks_ victim of terrible Vampire jokes? The End Notes! :D  
> ... Sorry.  
>  But yeah Takaaki is fun to write. And yup, Mondo didn't have to worry at all.  
> Yes, Chihiro is meeting Kiibo's creator. What could the two nerds be possibly doing...?   
> Also I'm going to try and make my writing more descriptive (as I feel that's a flaw in my writing I want to work on.) If there's anything else you could suggest that would help me improve, I would love to hear it! ^.^


	21. The Photo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo and Taka study.  
> Photos are seen and questions are asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is officially the beginning of the Taka arc and I am kinda excited by this! Also we are almost at 50 Kudos!? :o Heck yeah! ^.^
> 
> I posted the first chapter of one of the two fics I'm working on online, so if you are interested in a Fanganronpa with the Danganronpa 1 Cast, please have a read? 
> 
> Anyways, let us proceed with the chapter. :)

All in all, today had been a good day.  
After having lunch with Taka and his dad, Mondo and Taka had gone shopping with the intention of buying Halloween decorations and costumes. After a fair few discussions and debates on what they should be buying ("No" Taka said, "We are _not_ buying fake spiders!"), Mondo and Taka picked up a few fake skeletons, some fake cobwebs and other Halloween-themed decorations. Furthermore, the two of them finally had their costumes ready and well, in Mondo's opinion, they looked pretty damn good.  
The two of them had returned home shortly afterwards and had settled in Taka's room in order to do some studyin'. Mondo had confessed that he was stuck on his maths homework and Taka had agreed to help him with his bullshit algebra. As Taka slowly explained how these damn formulas worked, Mondo's mind wandered a little, looking around the room as he tried to solve the problems laid out in front of him.  
Eventually, Mondo spotted two things on Taka's bedside table. One was a photo frame that looked kinda old but well cared for. The other was a metallic bracelet, though Mondo couldn't see much of its design from where he was sitting.   
"Kyodai, are you listening?" Taka's voice interrupted Mondo's thoughts. Mondo turned to look at his Kyodai, who was busy writing notes on Mondo's notes. His mind really had wandered, huh.  
"Sorry, got distracted." Mondo replied sheepishly, trying to hide his blush, "We've been studying for what, two hours, right? Kinda need a break."  
Taka quickly looked at his watch, his eyebrows rising when he realised how _late_ it was. He muttered quickly, "Oh wow, we have actually been studying for two hours. Yes, let's take a break."  
With that, Mondo stood up and stretched his legs, which had gotten fucking stiff after two hours of sitting down. He walked over to Taka's bedside table, and slowly picked up the photo frame.   
There were three people in the photo. The first Mondo recognised instantly. It was Takaaki Ishimaru, albeit looking a lot younger with darker hair and fewer bags under his eyes. He looked really like Taka in this photo, which was fucking weird. The second was a young boy, about 5 years old, with short black hair and an enthusiastic smile on his face. That must be Taka, Mondo thought, with a small smile on his face.   
The third person Mondo didn't recognise.  
She was a women, roughly around Takaaki's age, with shoulder length dark hair tied up in a ponytail. Mondo recognised the metallic bracelet on her left wrist, as it looked kinda similar to the one on the bedside table. She seemed happy.  
Was that... Aiko Ishimaru?   
"That's one of the last photos I had with my mum." Mondo heard Taka mutter softly, "She died two years later. Cancer."  
"I'm sorry, Kyodai." Mondo said sympathetically, knowing what losing a parent felt like.  
"It's... It's alright." Taka said quietly, "I still miss her. I do everyday, but I still have the memories of her."  
"...Yeah." Mondo replied quietly, looking at the bracelet, "Was this your ma's as well?"  
Taka nodded, as Mondo took a look inside the bracelet. Inside the bracelet, Mondo could see a small engraving:  
 _Hikari and Aiko- Despite the distance, may our friendship remain close._  
"Huh." Mondo muttered quietly to himself.  
"You noticed it too?" Taka said quietly, "It seems to be a friendship bracelet, but I never worked out who Hikari is and how he, she or they met my mother. I... I tried to find Hikari on social media once, but I couldn't find them sadly."  
"Weird. Did ya ma ever mention Hikari?" Mondo asked, sounding curious.  
"No, and I never met anyone named Hikari either." Taka replied, "It's... Strange."  
Mondo nodded, "Yeah."  
"Anyways, our break has gone on for long enough. Let's get back to studying." Taka said enthusiastically, opening his maths textbook.  
"...Ok." Mondo nodded, albeit reluctantly, in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At one point, Aiko was named Maya, but then I remembered that there was an NPC in this called Maya, so had to rename her quickly. XD


End file.
